


The Stars Above : Obikin Week 2018

by SilverDaye



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Cute, Family, M/M, Masks, Masquerade, Obikin Week 2018, One Shot, Romance, Sith Anakin Skywalker, Sith Obi-Wan, Skywalker Family, Soulmates, obikin, soulmark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-12 00:52:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDaye/pseuds/SilverDaye
Summary: Day 1: Sith Obi-Wan comes to Tatooine on business, but instead discovers a strong Force presence in a local mechanic.Day 2: A soulmark appears on Anakin's arm. The only problem is Jedi do not get soulmarks.Day 3: Anakin is expelled from the Jedi Order and imprisoned in the Temple for crimes the Council says they saw him commit in a vision.Day 4: Obi-Wan has crashed landed on Naboo during a battle. When he wakes up, he's in the house of former-Jedi Anakin.Day 5: Anakin and Obi-Wan are given a mission to protect Senator Amidala while she secretly meets up Separatist senators at a masquerade ball.





	1. On Tatooine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 prompt: Never Found/ Storm
> 
> Anakin is never found by the Jedi. Sith Obi-Wan comes to Tatooine on business, but instead discovers a strong Force presence in a local mechanic.

Obi-Wan had not been expecting this sun-kissed skin and golden hair Adonis to be the cause of the disturbance he had felt in the Force when he arrived on this miserable Outer Rim planet. He had come to Tatooine to investigate the Hutts. But as soon as his ship exited hyperspace, Obi-Wan felt something through the Force down on the planet. There was something down there. He followed it to the Mos Eisley spaceport and into this mechanic's shop. 

The Force spun around the mechanic. The guy was clearly Force sensitive and untrained from the looks of it. The man looked to be in his twenties. So how had he managed not to be found by the Jedi or the Sith yet? The mechanic was leaning over on a counter. He had some small mechanical part in his hands that he was tinkering with.

As Obi-Wan approached, the man put the part down and looked up. He smiled. Force, it was a beautiful smile set in a god-like face that had smears of grease on it. He had this roguish spacer charm about him. He had a scar on the right side of his face that cut through his right eyebrow. His blue eyes sharply stood out amongst the gold tan of his skin. His blond wavy was worn long. One hand was covered in a glove that was wrapped around to the elbow.

“Can I help you?” the man asked. Obi-Wan stepped up to the counter. “Is there something you need help with, or are you just looking?” 

“Oh, I’m just looking,” Obi-Wan said eying the man up and down. 

The man rested his head in his hand. A devilish smile crossed his lips. “See anything you like?” 

Obi-Wan leaned against the counter towards the man. “Well there is one outstanding item in this store,” Obi-Wan teased.

The man cocked an eyebrow. “Only one?”

Obi-Wan did a half-hearted look around the various parts and machinery in the store, before his eyes turned back to the gorgeous man. “Yes,” he said with a smile. “Only one.” 

 

* * *

 

Anakin had almost dropped the droid part when he saw the man walk in. He was clearly an offworlder. He looked posh. Sleek. Clean. Pale skin. Everything someone from Tatooine wasn’t. Plus he wore all black, which was not a color natives wore due to the fact it absorbed heat. Anakin himself wore the light tans and beiges tunic common of the Tatooine folk. But the man wore fine tailored clothing that hugged his very nice shape.

The man had neatly combed auburn hair with a nicely trimmed beard, which he was currently stroking in thought. His eyes kept greedily looking over Anakin. There was no doubt he was attracted to Anakin, which was fine because he was a very handsome man. Anakin especially liked when their eyes met. The man had golden eyes. They seemed to draw Anakin in. He just couldn’t stop staring at them. 

After flirting a bit at Anakin’s shop, the two had found themselves in a catina sharing drinks. The man had introduced himself as Obi-Wan, which oddly Anakin believed was his real name. There seemed to be a weight of truth behind the man’s statement. Yet that’s where the truth seemed to end with Obi-Wan. Not that Anakin felt like he was being completely lied to, but Obi-Wan was clearly skirting around the truth when he talked about himself. Not that Anakin cared too much. People, even rich good looking ones, didn’t come to Tatooine for any good reason. 

Suddenly there was a large banging noise from the bar. The cantina grew quiet as everyone looked over. “Sandstorm coming in!” the bartender shouted. “Get out or stay in, but pick one or the other.”

“Kriff,” Anakin cursed. He downed the rest of his drink. 

“Got somewhere to be?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“I did,” Anakin muttered, “But well too late now with a storm coming in.” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow asking for more information, but Anakin didn’t provide any answers. “Well I ain’t staying here during a storm,” Anakin said as he stood up from the table. Obi-Wan gracefully rose as well.

Anakin had figured his encounter with Obi-Wan would have been over after they exited the cantina, but it wasn’t. The storm had already started. The sand stung into them. Anakin pulled Obi-Wan through the barely-visible streets back to the apartment above his store. Once inside, the sound of sand hitting the walls and shutters on the windows could be heard. 

It was dark and Anakin turned on a lamp. It didn’t provide much light, but it casted a warm light through the one room apartment. A bed was shoved against one wall next to a dresser and a trunk. There was a small kitchen area and a small table, but most of it was covered in mechanical parts and wires.

At once Anakin started to strip off the layers of his tunic. After he took off each piece of clothing, he would shake the sand off of it before moving on to the next item. Anakin was free from all of his upper clothes, including his glove he used to protect his prosthetic hand. He was about to take off his boots when he hear a soft pleased snort. Anakin looked up to see Obi-Wan leaning against the wall stroking his beard as he looked over at Anakin. 

“Something amusing?” Anakin asked. 

“Oh no, not at all,” Obi-Wan replied as he pushed himself of the wall. “But tell me, is it normal for those on Tatooine to just undress upon entering a home?” 

Anakin shrugged. “I hate sand,” he said matter-of-factly. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

“You hate sand . . .” Obi-Wan mused. “And yet . . . You live on a planet completely covered in it.”

“I’m aware,” Anakin replied dryly. He leaned down and took off one of his boots. He turned it over to let the sand fall out. Once both boots were off and emptied, he looked up to find that Obi-Wan was now standing next to him. Anakin hid his shock. He hadn’t heard him approach. Obi-Wan gently placed a hand on his chest.

“You’re so warm,” Obi-Wan said in a soft whisper. “Like the sun itself is below your skin.” 

A wave of tingly lust ran through Anakin and settled low inside of him. He leaned into Obi-Wan’s touch. “You should get out of those clothes,” Anakin said in playful voice. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Unless,” Anakin continued, “You want to sleep in all that sand in your clothes.”

“Sleep?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“That storm isn’t going anywhere fast. Probably won’t be gone until morning.”

“So I’m stuck here, with you?” 

“Well you could leave,” Anakin said. 

“I could,” Obi-Wan said as he moved closer to Anakin. The two bodies were almost touching one another. “Or I could stay here.” Obi-Wan’s other slid into Anakin’s hair. It slipped around the back of Anakin’s head. Then Obi-Wan pulled Anakin closer. Both mouths opened right before they touched. Anakin’s hands slid around Obi-Wan’s shoulder, pulling him closer.

They kissed. Their tongues eagerly met and moved along each other. Each getting to know the other by tasting the other and exploring the other’s mouth. Obi-Wan was the first to pull away. Anakin had been left breathless. He took a moment just to catch his breath. When he did, he looked at Obi-Wan. His gold eyes seemed to glow in the dull light. A fresh wave of arousal coursed through Anakin. He could feel the heat growing between his legs. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I walked into your store,” Obi-Wan purred. 

Anakin grabbed at Obi-Wan’s shirt. He pulled the man close. He leaned in, but paused right above his lips. “You should have said something sooner,” Anakin said. His lips light brushed against Obi-Wan’s. “We wasted time in that cantina.” 

“Guess I’ll just have to make it up to you,” Obi-Wan said as once again his lips crashed into Anakin.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan laid on top of Anakin. Their two naked bodies were panting and sweating from sex. Anakin’s head laid on the pillow. His head leaned back with his eyes closed. He looked completely content and pleased. Obi-Wan was leaving a small trail of kisses on Anakin’s neck and chest. 

Obi-Wan was glad he had stayed. It wouldn’t have been hard to use the Force to shield himself from the sandstorm. But he would have just been confined to his ship. Plus Obi-Wan was fully enjoying Anakin. It hadn’t taken much to get the Tatooine mechanic naked on the bed. Obi-Wan loved watching Anakin’s form writhe in pleasure as Obi-Wan thrusted into him. Anakin had mewled and moaned with pleasure. He clawed on Obi-Wan’s back, leaving Obi-Wan’s skin with red trails along his pale skinned back. 

Anakin had kissed his cheek and bit softly at his neck when Obi-Wan took him a second time. Obi-Wan simply couldn’t get enough of Anakin. He was so warm. Not only physically, but in the Force as well. Not that he was this close, this intimate, he finally saw the burning presence Anakin was in the Force. It was overwhelming if Obi-Wan looked directly at it. Anakin would make a strong Force user. A strong apprentice. Obi-Wan just had to convince Anakin to join him. 

“Tell me,” Obi-Wan said taking a break from leaving his soft kisses all over Anakin. “What is it that you want in life?”

Anakin opened his eyes and looked down at Obi-Wan. “Hmmm?” 

“Is this the life you want? Stuffed in this small apartment on Tatooine, tinkering away at machines all day?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“Perhaps,” Anakin replied. But his voice felt flat. Dull. In the Force, Anakin’s emotions wavered. There was a sense of conflict within him. 

“You could have so much more, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said as he placed a hand on Anakin’s cheek. “I can sense it. Deep inside of you is a burning potential. You could be so much more, and you know it, don’t you?” 

Anakin smiled. “I do know it,” he said arrogantly. 

Obi-Wan paused. So Anakin was at least aware of his unused powers, and he hadn’t done anything about it yet. He kept himself here on this planet. He would have made for a good Jedi, but that would not do for Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan pushed himself up Anakin. The skin of their bodies rubbed against each other until Obi-Wan was face to face with Anakin. “I know what it is you want,” Obi-Wan whispered.

“Oh?” Anakin asked. 

Obi-Wan leaned into Anakin’s ear. His lips brushed the warm skin. “You want to dominate,” he purred. 

“Dominate?” Anakin said in a breathless voice. 

“Mmmm yes,” Obi-Wan continued in Anakin’s ear. He paused as he licked the ear and then kissed it. “You hate this life, don’t you? You want more. You desperately want more. You want to be on top. Too long have you been at the bottom.”

Anakin took a sharp intake of air, and Obi-Wan smiled. His words were having their attended effect. 

“I can give it to you,” Obi-Wan continued. “I can give you power, Anakin. I can give your domination.” 

He pulled back so he could look down at Anakin. Anakin blue eyes were instantly staring into him. His eyes were searching for the truth, and Obi-Wan knew Anakin had enough presence in the Force to sense the truth in Obi-Wan’s words. But then something changed. Obi-Wan felt as Anakin quickly drew into himself and shut himself off to Obi-Wan.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Anakin growled. He pushed Obi-Wan off of him and rolled out of bed.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan had left after that. The sandstorm had died down. He had returned to his ship mulling over what he should do next. He decided to meditate on it. He focused on his anger at being rejected by Anakin. Obi-Wan was offering Anakin everything he ever wanted. Everything he ever dreamed. And he was going to cast it aside? Cast Obi-Wan aside? For what? 

The Dark Side of the Force easily welcomed Obi-Wan into its cold inky folds. In it, he saw Anakin as he could be. A fearsome Sith Lord. Strong. Incredibly strong. Unparalleled and unmatched. Anakin had the power to bring down Sidious and claim his throne and the galaxy. 

Obi-Wan pulled out of his meditation. His original mission to investigate the Hutts had been completely thrown to the side. Anakin was too great of a prize to simply let go of. It would be disastrous if anyone else got their hands on him. Thus Obi-Wan had to find out what was keeping Anakin here. Anakin had been tempted by Obi-Wan’s words. Obi-Wan had hit the truth in what Anakin wanted. What he truly desired, but there was something pulling him away from it. Obi-Wan needed to find it and either destroy or manipulate it. One way or another, Anakin would be Obi-Wan’s. 

Following Anakin was easy. His bright presence in the Force was unmistakable, and he clearly did not know how to shield himself. Once the sun had risen, Anakin had set out on a landspeeder out of Mos Eisley and into the barren landscape of the planet. Obi-Wan simply waited then he flew his ship out of the port and slowly followed the pull of Anakin’s presence. 

Anakin’s path lead into a flat area of the desert and ended there. Obi-Wan pulled up a map of Tatooine and noted there were no places for him to hide his ship. Anakin would see him coming, so Obi-Wan sent out a Prowler 1000 seeker probe droid to spy on Anakin. Obi-Wan landed his ship in the desert and sent the little droid on its way. 

There was a bit of bitterness inside Obi-Wan as he watched the droid disappear. He recalled the same type of droids being sent after him on Utapau after Order 66, which had caused Obi-Wan’s own men to fire on him. It had been the start of his fall into the Dark Side. Perhaps it was a bit ironic it was being used to help start Anakin’s fall. 

Obi-Wan busied himself on his ship. He read over reports sent in by his spies. He watched the holonet. Meditated. Practiced his lightsaber katas. Finally the droid returned. After viewing the footage, Obi-wan smiled. He had found exactly what was keeping Anakin here.

 

* * *

 

Anakin was honestly surprised when he saw Obi-Wan walk back into his shop. Anakin had just gotten back from spending two days at the homestead. He had assumed Obi-Wan would be gone by now. An offworlder like him wouldn’t linger long in this place, yet here he was wearing a fresh black outfit. Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin as he waltzed across the store to the counter. 

“I thought you would be gone by now,” Anakin said. 

“I’m finishing up my business,” Obi-Wan said. “Despite how it ended, I did really enjoy the other night. Didn’t you?”

_ Ahhh so he was back for more action _ , Anakin thought. In truth over the past two days his mind had gone back to Obi-Wan several times. “I did,” Anakin said finally with a bit of reluctance. 

“What do you say to one more time?” Obi-Wan said with dazzling smile. “Just let me know when your shop closes.” 

The coolness of night was settling on Tatooine as Anakin and Obi-Wan laid on the bed in Anakin’s small apartment. They had already gone one round with another. Obi-Wan had felt so good inside of Anakin. This time Obi-Wan had gone a little faster. Rougher. There was something desperate in his thrusts, which Anakin loved.

Obi-Wan had just plopped on the bed beside Anakin. His back was up and his head to the side. Anakin sat up next to him. His tanned skin contrasted sharply against the soft milky white skin of Obi-Wan’s back. Anakin was tracing the freckles on Obi-Wan’s back. He marveled at how soft his skin was. But it wasn’t unmarked. A few scars crossed his back. Anakin wondered where and how he had got it.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan murmured. “I want you inside of me.”

Anakin paused as he looked at Obi-Wan whose gold eyes shone in the dull light of the room. Obi-Wan slowly pushed himself up, so he too was sitting. He placed a hand on Anakin’s knee. 

“Did you hear me?” Obi-Wan said.

“Yeah.”

“And?”

Anakin felt the heat rush to his cheeks. Obi-Wan laughed and squeezed Anakin’s knee.

“You’ve always been on the receiving end when with a man?” Obi-Wan asked. Anakin’s silence spoke the answer. Obi-Wan’s hand slid off Anakin’s knee and up his thigh. “You’ve never been the one giving?” Obi-Wan purred as his hid slid over Anakin’s half hard member. Obi-Wan lightly grabbed the shaft and gently started to rub it.

Anakin wondered what was this guy’s deal. Obi-Wan always seemed to be able to peg Anakin’s thoughts and desires so well, and they barely knew each other. 

“I know you want it,” Obi-Wan purred. “I want it to. I want you thrusting inside of me.” Obi-Wan’s eyes flicked down to Anakin’s fully erect member. “Looks like you’re ready.” 

There was a small growl inside Anakin as he pushed Obi-Wan down on the bed. He grabbed the bottle of lube that laid discarded on the bed. Once he was slicked up, Anakin lined himself up but then he hesitated.

“It’s ok,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m ready.”

Anakin inserted himself in and slowly pushed himself forward. He stopped after a short bit.

“Keep going, dear one,” Obi-Wan said. “You’re not hurting me.” Anakin took a steadying breath before he pushed himself in deeper. “Mmmm, yes keep going,” Obi-Wan moaned encouraging Anakin along.

Anakin’s pace was slow and cautious at first, but Obi-Wan kept gently coaxing him along. He pleaded for more, and Anakin quickly found he was very willing to give more. His thrusts grew faster and deeper. By the suns, he had never felt this way before. It felt good. So good. Obi-Wan’s moans of pleasure only added to the experience. Anakin was the one giving pleasure. He was the one in control.

When the release came, they both came together. It blew Anakin’s mind. His whole body lit up with sparks. He was left panting with his heart pounding afterwards. 

“How was it, dear one?” Obi-Wan asked as Anakin sank into the bed next to him. Obi-Wan’s hand slipped into Anakin’s sweaty hair. 

“I’ve never had anything like that,” Anakin replied truthfully. 

Obi-Wan situated himself so the two were face to face. “It was amazing wasn’t it?” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll admit, I’ve never had anything like you. You are . . . very good.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Anakin said smiling.

“You should,” Obi-Wan said. “But tell me, how was it? Being the one in control? The one in power? Exciting? Arousing? You loved it, didn’t you, being the one on top?”

“I did,” Anakin answered. 

Obi-Wan smiled. “See? I knew this is what you wanted. You want power. To be able to control your life. To be able to dominate fate itself.”

Anakin sighed. “This again? And the only way I can achieve this, is through you? What is it that you want Obi-Wan? Me to run off with you? Be your good little spaceship councibine?” 

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Concubine? Not the role I was thinking at all. Though if that’s what you wanted, I would be accepting.” Obi-Wan teasingly kissed Anakin on the cheek. 

“Then what were you thinking?” Anakin pressed. 

“Become my apprentice,” Obi-Wan offered.

“Apprentice? Doing what?” What was it that Obi-Wan did for a living? He was rich, Anakin could tell by his clothes, his hair, even his smell.

“Apprentice in the ways of the Force,” Obi-Wan said. “In the ways of power. When I am done training you, no one will be able to stand above you. You can have everything you want.”

Anakin couldn’t help but scoff. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Obi-Wan continued softly. “How would I know what you want? I do, dear one. I do.”

“You do?”

“I looked into you, Anakin Skywalker. You were born a slave. Freed yourself and your mother with pod racing, a feat many believed undoable for a human. You hated being a slave. Being nothing. It’s why you’re trying so very hard right now to earn enough money for a ship. You want to leave this world behind. To go out there and be something.” 

“I’m impressed by your dedication to me,” Anakin said. “Also concerned and a bit creeped out. And while your offer is . . . tempting. I can’t.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “Because of your son?”

A chill washed through Anakin. At once he was on top of Obi-Wan. His hand around his throat. His anger surged through him. 

“Do not bring my son into this,” Anakin hissed. 

Unexpectedly, Obi-Wan laughed. Then suddenly Anakin was thrown from Obi-Wan. Thrown clear off the bed, across the room, and slammed into the wall. He didn’t sink down to the ground. He stayed against the wall as if he was pinned. Obi-Wan sat up and rubbed at his throat. His gold eyes were piercing into Anakin. He slowly rose off the bed and made his way over. 

“Now, now dear one,” Obi-Wan said still with a smile on his lips. “I knew there was anger in you. You will make a great apprentice.” 

“How . . . what are you doing to me?” Anakin asked as he tried to struggle to get himself free. 

Obi-Wan stepped up to Anakin. Obi-Wan’s finger traced the side of Anakin’s cheek and chin and down to his throat. Then suddenly there was a tightening around his throat, yet Obi-Wan was’t touching him. He had pulled away his hand. 

“This is the power of the Force,” Obi-Wan whispered as he leaned in close. “The power I’m offering you, Anakin. The power you want. The power you want to protect your little son. You don’t want to lose him, not like you did with your mother.” 

Anakin tried to lash out at Obi-Wan. Grab at him. Punch him. Anything. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t even speak. He felt an unbelievable pressure pushing down on him, crushing him into the wall. Then it was gone. Anakin crumpled to the ground gasping for air. Obi-Wan knelt on the ground and started to soothingly rub Anakin’s back. 

“Think about Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “Truly think about what it is you want.” Anakin glanced up at the gold eyes of Obi-Wan.

 

* * *

 

The suns were high when Anakin stopped his speeder in front of the homestead. He had barely gotten a few steps towards the small dome of the entrance, before he heard small little feet running up the steps. Then a small little blur was running across the sands. 

“Daddy!” Luke cried. Anakin smiled as he fell to his knees with his arms open wide. Luke jumped into his arms. Anakin tightly pulled his son into a strong hug. He kissed the soft feathery blonde hair, which was so much like his own when he was child. “You’re back early!” Luke said as he squirmed away. Anakin was reluctant to let him go. 

“Yes I am,” Anakin said warmly. “I wanted to spend time with you, little one.” 

Luke beamed at his father. Little hands grabbed at Anakin’s gloved hand. Luke pulled his father into the homestead and into their shared room. There wasn’t space for the two to have separate rooms. It had slowly become more of Luke’s room than Anakin’s. Toys were everywhere many of which Anakin had built himself. 

“Let’s play starships!” Luke said as he handed his father a toy ship off the floor. 

That night the two lay in bed. Luke laid splayed on top of his father, but Anakin didn’t mind. He loved being next to his son. Too much of his time he had to spend in Mos Eisley at his shop. Anchorhead, which was closer to the homestead, just didn’t provide enough business. He usually spent most of the week at his shop, living in the small apartment. So when he did come back, the time he spent with Luke was precious. Even if it meant an uncomfortable night’s sleep, as long as Luke was next to him, Anakin didn’t mind. 

Anakin’s flesh hand gently stroked Luke’s hair. He was careful not to wake the boy. His mind went over Obi-Wan’s words. What he had said was true. He did want a better life for Luke. He did want to protect his boy. It was why he worked so hard. Spent so many nights away. Eventually he would be able to buy a ship. Get away from Anakin’s step-brother’s homestead and this blasted planet. Out to a better life amongst the stars. 

Anakin carefully bent his head down and kissed the top of Luke’s head. He recalled the first time he had seen his little boy. Luke’s mother had been a Rebel against the Empire. Anakin cared not about the Empire. Not like it affected a Hutt control world like Tatooine. Padme had come with a group to bargain with the Hutts for trade. Anakin had helped them fix a speeder, which lead to his brief relationship with Padme. Then a year later she stood in his shop again handing him a small little baby. The next day she was gone. Leaving Anakin alone to raise his son. 

Over the last four years, Anakin loved every minute of being a father. He wanted so much for Luke. Anakin looked around the darkened room carved from sandstone. He eyed the small clothes that were tattered and torn. Yes, Anakin wanted so much for Luke, but most importantly he wanted him to be safe. He couldn’t lose Luke. 

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan landed his ship at the edge of the Lars Homestead. Anakin stood outside the small domed entrance holding a small boy in his arms. Obi-Wan walked down the loading ramp. As he walked to Anakin, he reached out into the Force. The little boy was strong in the Force like his father. Obi-Wan paused as he stood in front of the two. 

“Luke, this is Obi-Wan. Can you say hello?” Anakin said. 

Luke looked over at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan could see the resemblance. The blond hair and blue eyes. He wore the same tan tunic that his father wore. Luke’s face was all scrunched up. His eyes were red and his cheeks all puffy. He had clearly been crying. Luke pursed his lips as he looked at Obi-Wan, fighting back another wave of sobs. 

Anakin sighed. He pulled out a com unit out of his pocket. “Here Luke,” he said. The boy took the com in his hands. “I’m going to call you as much as I can. I will visit you whenever I can.”

“When will that be?” a small sad voice asked. 

“I don’t know,” Anakin replied. “But hopefully not that long.” 

The little boy whined. His hands grabbed his father’s neck as he hugged his father tighter. “Please don’t go,” Luke whispered. 

“Luke, listen to me. I’ll come back for you, I promise. Then I will take you out to the stars. We’ll always be together. We won’t ever have to be apart again.”

“Ever?” Luke asked. 

“Never,” Anakin replied smiling. 

Two figures had joined them. Obi-Wan assumed they were Beru and Owen Lars, Anakin’s step-brother and step-sister-in-law. Anakin turned and handed Luke to the woman. Luke tried to keep his hold on his father. He started to cry the moment he was out of Anakin’s arms. Anakin leaned over and kissed Luke on the head.

“Daddy!” Luke cried.

“Now, Luke,” Beru said softly. “You have to be a big boy now. Your daddy will be back soon.”

Anakin had stepped over to Owen. “Take care of him,” Anakin said. Owen nodded. Anakin gave Luke another kiss. “I will be back, I promise. I love you, Luke.” Then Anakin turned and walked towards Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan could sense the emotions from the two Skywalkers. Both of their unshielded presence in the Force caused their emotions to be broadcasted loudly. Obi-Wan had to put up shields to block out the sadness radiating off the two.

Obi-Wan led Anakin back to his ship. Anakin paused at the loading ramp and turned back to look over at his son. He waved and walked up the ramp. As Obi-Wan piloted the ship up, Anakin was quiet. His eyes were on his son, then the small shape of the homestead, then the planet itself. Even after they entered hyperspace, Anakin still sat quietly. 

Obi-Wan stood up from the pilot’s chair and came to stand behind Anakin. He placed both his hands on Anakin’s shoulder and gently squeezed them.

“Tell me,” Anakin said softly. “With all this power you say you have, what do you see?”

“I see you claiming the galaxy,” Obi-Wan replied. 

“And Luke? My son?” Anakin asked. 

“He’ll be by your side.”

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan. “And you?” 

“I’ll be by your side as well.” 

Anakin smiled. The first time Obi-Wan had seen him smile that day. Anakin grabbed at Obi-Wan’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Artwork for this piece](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/post/175991294572/obikin-day-1-on-tatooine-summary-sith-obi-wan)


	2. Soulmarks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 Prompt: Soulmates
> 
> A soulmark appears on Anakin's arm. The only problem is Jedi do not get soulmarks.

The night the soulmark appeared, Anakin was thirteen. He awoke suddenly to a burning sensation in his arm. The pain grew stronger. He clenched his teeth in hopes of fighting back the screams, but too often they escaped lips. He twisted and turned on the bed as his left hand gripped tightly to his right arm. Sweat dampened his hair and clothes as he fought with himself. 

Eventually, slowly, Anakin rolled himself off the bed. He stumbled to the refresher. A few times he almost fell over when a fresh wave of pain hit him, but was able to catch himself. He sat in the shower fully clothed allowing the cool water to pour over him. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there. Minutes. Hours. But eventually the pain started to go away. Anakin found it easier to breath.

He gently pulled back the wet sleeve of his nightshirt revealing red tender skin on the inside of his right arm. There etched in gold on his arm was a soulmark. He brought his fingers up and gingerly traced the curves and lines of the mark. Then the panic kicked in. He couldn’t have a soulmark. There was no way. Jedi did not get soulmarks. They didn’t have soulmates. How could he have one? How was it possible? 

He thoughts spiraled into paranoia. Would the Order kick him out if they saw his soulmark? Did this prove he wasn’t meant to be a Jedi? He couldn’t let anyone know. He couldn’t let anyone see. Most importantly, he couldn’t let his master know. 

Luckily, Anakin was alone this night. He and his master were on this planet to help negotiate over pollution concerns from a factory. Obi-Wan had left that night to do some reconnaissance work. A million excuses had flow through Anakin’s mind by the time Obi-Wan walked into the small apartment they were staying at.

What would Obi-Wan say? Surely he had felt Anakin’s pain and anguish in the Force through their bond. 

Obi-Wan shut the door and locked it, then he slowly turned around. Anakin’s heart hammered in his chest. His soulmark burned on his arm. It felt so hot, that surely Obi-Wan could feel the heat coming off of it. Yet Obi-Wan barely looked at Anakin. He limped into the room allowing Anakin to finally notice the tattered robes and cuts across Obi-Wan’s face.

“Master!” Anakin cried out as he ran over. Obi-Wan put his hand up halting his padawan’s approached.

“Calm yourself, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “My wounds have already been seen to. I am fine.” Obi-Wan made it to the small threadbare couch and fell down on it.

“What happened?” Anakin demanded. 

“Our speeder was spotted as we crossed the river by the factory,” Obi-Wan said. “Our speeder was shot down.”

Obi-Wan never asked Anakin anything else about that night. Anakin never dared to bring it up. Instead he focused on keeping his golden soulmark a secret. He wrapped his arm in black cloth in case his sleeve would ever fall too low. Over the years, any time Anakin had free time, he dedicated himself to researching soulmarks. He read up on countless theories on soulmarks. Countless religions claimed the real reason why soulmarks appeared. 

Anakin recalled reading one story that claimed that before the dawn of time, all the stars were kept closely together. Yet somehow, there was a small push from one star into another. This caused a chain reaction that caused all the stars to wildly bounce off each other, crash into other, and create the universe.

As the stars collided into each other, they exploded creating nebulas, planets, systems, and everything there ever was in the universe. Yet some of these stars were hit in such a way they broke exactly into two pieces. They fell into the souls of sentients. Forever would these pieces be looking for their missing half. The soulmark was their sign to call the other half back together, so once again they could be a completed star. 

“Jedi do not have soulmarks, padawan,” Obi-Wan said when Anakin asked his master about the topic. “Jedi cannot have such attachments. We must be able to put our duty first above all else.”

“You . . . you don’t think a Jedi could do both?” Anakin asked cautiously. Obi-Wan paused. His blue eyes drilled into Anakin. Anakin’s soulmark burned under his sleeve. Obi-Wan had to know. No way after all these years did his master not know. How could he not feel the heat coming from Anakin’s arm? 

“No Jedi has ever a soulmark,” Obi-Wan finally said. “Most Jedi simply believe soulmarks are just the Force working in mysterious ways. There are some Jedi that have argued that Jedi do not get soulmarks because the Force itself is the soulmate to a Jedi.”

“That . . . sounds stupid,” Anakin said. He was ready for the reprimand from his master, but Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin and smiled.

“You would not be alone in that thought, young padawan,” Obi-Wan replied. 

As Anakin grew older still, he became tempted to sneak off and visit a mark reader, old hags who claimed to be able to look at a soulmark and tell you about your soulmate. Soulmarks were rare in the galaxy, but actually finding your soulmate was even rarer. A mark only told you that somewhere in the galaxy there was someone else with the same mark as you. That you two were destined to be together. Yet finding the one person in the entire galaxy with a matching mark was hard.

In the end, Anakin never went to a mark reader. He kept his mark a secret. And most days he forgot about it. He focused on his studies and missions. Then everything changed on Geonosis with the duel with Count Dooku. Anakin’s arrogance and foolishness resulted in him losing his arm and his soulmark with it. 

He had asked what happened to his arm. It was claimed to have been hastily disposed of in the chaos after the battle. No one mentioned the golden mark upon his lost arm. Perhaps the Jedi had never seen it. Perhaps the black strips of fabric were still tied around the arm. Perhaps a clone had absent-mindedly thrown it away. Regardless, no one ever brought up the mark.

Honestly, Anakin was relieved to have lost his arm with the mark at first. No longer did he have to fear discovery of his mark. He was given a prosthetic arm, and Anakin moved forward with his life. He became a Jedi Knight and then a general in the Clone Wars. That was when the burning started again. Anakin would awake during the nights clutching his right arm. A phantom pain was coming from an arm that wasn’t there. From a mark that was lost. 

As the war dragged on, Anakin felt like he was losing himself. That after each battle, piece by piece, he was falling apart. Each night it felt like his heart was been pulled down by a heavy weight. When Anakin thought that finally he wouldn’t make it, his body would be torn apart, his heart chipped away, it would get better. He could breathe easier. He felt whole. And then he was falling apart all over again. 

Anakin fell into deep despair and anxiety as time went on. He kept taking wilder risks during the war, earning him the name of Hero with no Fear. Yet no adrenaline rush, no victory, was helping Anakin keep himself together on the inside. He started to wonder if perhaps finding his soulmate would cure him. It felt like something important was missing from him and that he should find it. Is this what having a soulmate felt like? An ache inside yourself you couldn’t cure? Perhaps this is why people hired mark hunters, bounty hunters who would search the galaxy for your matching soulmark. 

Anakin had debated on leaving the Order to find his soulmate. At least to see if it would solve the battle going on inside of him. One minute it could be cold ice shards stabbing at him then the next red hot boiling water was raging below his skin. Anakin never expected he would find his matching soulmark on the battlefield.

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin cried as he saw his former master tumble down a hill after it had been shot by cannon fire. Anakin rushed to Obi-Wan’s side. The other was bruised and dirty and coughing, but otherwise fine. His robes were torn. His left sleeve was ripped completely open after getting snagged on some rocks and bushes. As Anakin helped Obi-Wan up, he noticed the gold mark even under the layer of dirt. Obi-Wan followed Anakin’s eyes to the mark. At once he took a step away and tried to cover the mark with the tattered remains of his tunic. 

“That was a soulmark!” Anakin said. 

“It is none of your concern, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said in an irritated voice. 

Anakin stepped forward. “I thought . . . I thought Jedi didn’t have soulmarks,” he said.

Obi-Wan sighed. “Now is not the time for this discussion.” Obi-Wan turned to leave again, but Anakin grabbed his shoulder.

“Obi-Wan this cannot wait!” Anakin said. Obi-Wan again turned to face Anakin with a scowl on his face. Irritation hummed through the Force. “Obi-Wan . . . I’ve seen that soulmark before.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. His mouth slightly opened as he stared at Anakin. “What?” Obi-Wan asked softly. 

“It belonged to . . . I also . . .” Anakin started. He had imagined a million different scenarios about what he would say when he finally met his soulmate. Anakin undid the glove that protected his right prosthetic arm. “There used to be a soulmark here,” Anakin said pointing to the part of the metal where the mark used to be. “But it was lost on Geonosis.”

Anakin continued to stare down at his arm, unable to meet Obi-Wan’s gaze. 

“And . . . and . . . it matched yours,” Anakin continued in a whisper. 

Anakin continued to stare down, still unable to look up. Still fearful to look up. Obi-Wan didn’t move nor say anything. A tenseness lay thick in the air. 

“We can talk about this later,” Obi-Wan said. His voice was unsteady. “After this battle we can sort this mess out. We must-”

“No!” Anakin shouted as he finally looked up. Obi-Wan’s shoulders were held up high, his brow was furrowed in deep concern, and he still tightly gripped the sleeve over his soulmark. “No,” Anakin said again calmer this time. “This cannot wait.”

“Anakin, now is not the time,” Obi-Wan said. “We must focus on the battle. This is why Jedi do not have soulmates. Our attention cannot be divided like this!” 

“Fine,” Anakin growled. 

That battle waged on, and when there finally was break, Anakin sought out Obi-Wan back at the Republic camp. 

“Anakin . . .” Obi-Wan said as he saw the other approach. “I know what you’ve come to talk about, but this can wait.” 

“I was thinking about leaving the Order,” Anakin said. 

Obi-Wan stood staring at Anakin with wide eyes. “What?” he asked. 

“I had a soulmark! If I didn’t leave, it was only a matter time before the Order kicked me out.”

“That is no reason to leave the Order. I have a soulmark,” Obi-Wan said. 

“And Jedi aren’t supposed to have soulmarks. We don’t get soulmates,” Anakin said. “We can’t form attachments. We have to be able to put our duty first. Those are your words, Obi-Wan.” A tense silence fell between the two before Anakin spoke again. “What . . . What were you going to do Obi-Wan? Were just going to live your whole life never caring, never knowing who your soulmate was? Weren’t you ever curious?”

“Of course I was curious! But . . . But . . .” Obi-Wan started. 

“But what?” Anakin demanded. “You were just going to stay a Jedi? If you ever met them say your sorry, but duty comes first? Surely you feel it too? I can’t keep living like this. It’s been tearing me apart. Piece by piece and I feared that soon there would be nothing left of me.”

Anakin paused to allow Obi-Wan to speak, but he was quiet. His blue eyes large as he looked at Anakin. “I realize it now,” Anakin said with a small laugh. “I didn’t start feeling this way until the war. I thought it was just all the death and destruction, but that wasn’t it at all. It was you . . . It was you Obi-Wan. We were no longer together. Whenever I thought I could pull through this, that I was getting better, it was because we were back together. And then we went on seperate missions and once again I was being ripped apart.” 

He took a step closer to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan didn’t move, so Anakin took another and another until the two were directly next to each other. Slowly Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and pulled the other into an embrace. The tension Anakin had been holding slowly ebbed out of him. He felt Obi-Wan relax as well. 

It felt right. For the first time, Anakin felt whole. Together. That part of him that he was desperately missing, desperately searching for, had been found. The two parts of a star finally together. Slowly Obi-Wan’s arms wrapped around Anakin. There was a warmth growing within Anakin. It started from his right arm, where his soulmark would have been. Slowly the warmth traveled up his arm and filled up the rest of his body. Anakin felt calm. At peace. Loved. 

“You were right,” Obi-Wan said into Anakin’s neck. “I was curious to find out my soulmate, but I also didn’t want to leave the Order. I . . . didn’t want to leave you.”

Anakin slowly pulled away from Obi-Wan. “Me?” Anakin asked. 

Obi-Wan let out a soft laugh. “Still blind to my affection as always,” he murmured. Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin’s cheek. “Still blind to my love until you have a literal soulmark thrown into your face.”

It was Anakin’s turn to have his cheeks turn red. “What? Love? You? Me?” Anakin stuttered. 

“Still are I see,” Obi-Wan said as he lightly patted Anakin’s cheek.

Anakin’s mind raced. Obi-Wan liked him? He had always liked him? He recalled the last mission he had been on with Obi-Wan. Had Obi-Wan said anything? Everything seemed normal. But then he remembered the small touches. Obi-Wan’s hand gliding over his shoulder while Anakin sat at the pilot’s chair. Obi-Wan grabbing Anakin’s arm. But wasn’t that normal? Isn’t that just how Obi-Wan was?

“We’re not alone, you know,” Obi-Wan said bringing Anakin out of his thoughts. Anakin looked around to see if any of the clones were watching, but no one was. Obi-Wan let out a small laugh. “I meant about having soulmarks. We aren’t the only Jedi to have them.”

“But . . . what?” 

“Four months ago two young knights appeared before the Council with matching soulmarks.”

“What happened?” Anakin asked. 

“The Council thought about expelling the two knights,” Obi-Wan answered. “I thought about sharing my own mark, but I feared being kicked out as well. Luckily the Council wasn’t hasty in this decision. They decided they should meditate on it. A few days later a padawan came forward showing off a new soulmark.” 

“More and more Jedi are getting soulmarks,” Anakin noted.

“Yes, but the question is why now? The Jedi Order has been around for thousands of years. Why are Jedi only getting soulmarks now? The Council decided to forego kicking anyone out of the Order yet.”

“Should we come forward then?” Anakin asked. 

“Possibly,” Obi-Wan answered. “It might help.”

“You said that Jedi shouldn’t have soulmates.”

“Maybe,” Obi-Wan said softly, “We just aren’t meant to be Jedi then.”

Anakin wanted to shout out that wasn’t true. They were both meant to be Jedi. Both of them had dedicated their lives to being Jedi. And yet, hadn’t Anakin thought about leaving the Order in search of his soulmate? 

“I wonder if this is why Jedi have never had soulmates before,” Anakin mused. “They had to pick between being a Jedi or having a soulmate. They always picked the first. Maybe the two can’t coexist.” 

“Or maybe it’s you,” Obi-Wan said. “You once asked me if a Jedi could not do both.  Qui-Gon said you were the Chosen One who was meant to bring balance to the Force.”

Anakin groaned. “No. No. Don’t bring that up. That has nothing to do with this.” 

Obi-Wan continued, “Perhaps the reason why Jedi never had soulmarks before is because they were blocked. It was too hard to reach a Force sensitive. The marks needed someone incredibly strong in the Force to blaze the trail. They needed you to help them find their way. To my knowledge we were the first in getting our marks.” 

“You think that is what they meant by bringing balance to the Force? Making it so Jedi could have soulmates?”

Obi-Wan stepped closer to Anakin. He placed a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “Do you not feel more balanced when we’re together?”

Anakin let out a small laugh. “I think I’d rather just stick to ‘the Force works in mysterious ways,’” he said as leaned over and kissed Obi-Wan on the lips. Though impossible, on his prosthetic arm, he could feel a warmth beating there whenever he was with Obi-Wan. This was it was supposed to be. Two-halves together. Whatever the future held, Anakin and Obi-Wan would face it as one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Artwork for this chapter](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/post/176019794162/obikin-week-day-2-soulmates-summary-a-soulmark)


	3. The Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 prompt: The First Time
> 
> Anakin is expelled from the Jedi Order and imprisoned in the Temple for crimes the Council says they saw him commit in a vision.

It was the first time Obi-Wan had seen Anakin since that fateful Council meeting. Obi-Wan had sat in his council chair and fought back waves of emotions and tears as Anakin shouted in disbelief he was being kicked out of the Order. Through their still-present bond, Obi-Wan could sense Anakin’s confusion and anger. When they brought out the Force-suppression cuffs, saying Anakin would need to be contained, Anakin’s anger boiled over. The Council was forced to subdue him and knock him out. 

The Detention Center’s hallway was quiet. They had put Anakin away from anyone else currently being held here. He sat behind an orange ray shield. He was hunched over on the small cot. His arms rested on his knees. Obi-Wan could see the Force-suppression cuffs hanging heavily on Anakin’s wrists. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said softly. 

Anakin’s head snapped up at once. He was disheveled. His hair was messy. He hadn’t shaved and a stubbly beard was growing in. He wore a simple white outfit of a top and pants. Everything that had made Anakin a Jedi, had been stripped away from him. His title, his lightsaber, his robes, and even the Force. Anakin’s blue eyes focused on Obi-Wan. There was fire behind them. Anger. A shiver ran down Obi-Wan recalling those eyes with that same expression, but they were yellow.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said slowly. 

“How are you?” Obi-Wan asked. He didn’t know how else to start. He didn’t know what else to say. 

Anakin only gave a short laugh. “How do I look,  _ master _ ?” Anakin spat out the last word. 

“Anakin, please,” Obi-Wan said softly. “I was against this. I argued, pleaded, and begged the Council not to do this.”

Anakin jumped off his cot as he stormed over to the orange ray shield dividing the two. “Did you?” Anakin snarled. “I don’t recall you fighting all that much when they declared I would be kicked out of the Order. You just sat there and watched, like you always do. You watched as they took _ everything _ from me and then locked me up in here.” Anakin stood right next to the ray shield. If it wasn’t there, the two would be able to touch. “They never told me  _ why  _ I’m in here. The only thing they said was ‘It is for the best.’”

Obi-Wan shifted on his feet uncomfortably. How much should he tell Anakin? 

“The Council had a vision,” Obi-Wan said.

“The Council? Who on the Council?” 

“The entire Council, or at least those in attendance during the meeting,” Obi-Wan said.

“A shared vision?” Anakin asked. There was a bit of disbelief in his voice. Obi-Wan just glared at him for interrupting.

“Yes a shared vision. It was a powerful vision. It showed the . . . It showed who the Sith Lord is. The one we’ve been looking for. The master of Darth Maul and Dooku.”

“And?” Anakin asked. His voice hopeful. 

“The Council is currently planning on how to deal with that piece of news,” Obi-Wan said. “They felt it more important to first contain you.”

“Why?”

“Because there was more to that vision . . .” Obi-Wan paced away from the ray shield wall. He easily recalled the vision. It had haunted Obi-Wan’s thoughts ever since he saw it. He saw Mace Windu and the three other masters confronting Chancellor Palpatine. The three masters dying to the Sith. Anakin helping Palpatine kill Windu. Then Anakin knelt and pledged himself to the Dark Side. To the Sith. 

The vision showed Anakin marching on the Jedi Temple with the 501st. It showed the death and destruction of all Jedi in the Temple. None were spared.  _ None _ . Those who were not in the Temple were shot down and betrayed by their clone troops after being issued a secret order by Palpatine. 

What could Obi-Wan say? That the man Anakin believed to be a good friend, was the Sith lord? That this Sith lord lured Anakin to the Dark Side? Which in turn caused Anakin to kill and destroy the Jedi? And even worse . . . right as Obi-Wan saw the fires of Mustafar and Anakin’s hatred filled yellow eyes, he shoved down the memories of the vision. 

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked. 

“In that vision the Council saw you committing crimes against the Order,” Obi-Wan stated.

Anakin just stared. “A vision . . . showed that I committed crimes?” he asked slowly. “And this . . . and this is why they’ve kicked me out? Why they’ve locked me up? From something  _ I haven’t even done yet _ ?” 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said softly. 

“That is kriffin’ bullshit!” Anakin shouted as his fists banged against the orange ray field. At once they zapped him and his hands bounced off. He turned and stomped off down to the other side of his cell. He sharply turned on his heels and paced back. “The Council is a bunch of hypocrites! What happened to ‘the future is always in motion’ stuff I always get lectured on? And  _ now  _ they act like the Future is set in stone? If they know I was going to commit a crime, one bad enough to kick me out of the Order and land me in here, then why didn’t they just prevent it?”

“They think they are preventing it,” Obi-Wan said with a small wave of his hands at the cell.

Anakin snarled again and paced his cell. Obi-Wan took a deep breath and as he exhaled he attempted to release his emotions in the Force. There was a gripping feeling around his heart seeing Anakin like this. Seeing him pace his cell like a caged animal. 

“Anakin, please believe me that I am with you on this. I am trying my best to convince the Council of the same thing you just told me. It is unfair to lock you away.”

Anakin took a deep breath and returned to the ray shield wall. He looked sadly at Obi-Wan. “Thank you Obi-Wan. I know . . . I know you’re on my side. It means a lot.”

“I’ve got to go Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “I promise I won’t stop trying to get your free."

 

* * *

 

 

The second time Obi-Wan went to visit Anakin, Obi-Wan noticed a change. Anakin had become far more irritated. Far more like a dangerous animal. Far more like the Sith in the vision. Were they really preventing the Future? Or were they still allowing it to come to pass just through a different series of events? 

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said lowly as he saw the other approach. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan greeted. “How are you?” 

Anakin huffed and gestured to his body. He looked horrible. He was thin and pale. There were bags under his blood-shot eyes. His hair was shaggy and his beard was getting longer. His clothes were still fresh, but otherwise Anakin looked unbathed. Dirty. 

At seeing Anakin, Obi-Wan’s heart had squeezed itself until it hurt. Each pump his heart made, was painful. Even the blood coursing through his body hurt, as if the blood was frozen and sharp cold ice scratched at his insides. Obi-Wan’s throat became tight and he was finding it hard to breath and talk. 

“How goes it with the Council?” Anakin asked. 

“They . . . they still haven’t changed their mind,” Obi-Wan answered. 

“Has it even come up?” Anakin said as he slowly made his way to the ray shield wall. “Have they even thought of me rotting away down here?”

“No,” Obi-Wan whispered and hoped Anakin hadn’t heard. But he had. Obi-Wan noticed the small flinch in Anakin’s hands. Obi-Wan took a steadying breath and looked back at Anakin. “They’ve successfully brought down the Sith Lord. It has caused some chaos amongst the Republic and the Confederacy. Both sides are finally open to peace talks.”

Anakin rolled his eyes. “What’s next Obi-Wan?” he asked. “What will happen when they finally get around to addressing my case?” 

“Hopefully they free you,” Obi-Wan said. 

“And let me back into the Order?”

“I . . . doubt that,” Obi-Wan answered truthfully. 

Anakin leaned towards Obi-Wan. His face was right next to the ray shield. “Tell me Obi-Wan,” Anakin said in a low voice. “What was my crime? What did you see in that vision? What crime was so bad that they kicked me out and locked me away and forgot about me?”

Obi-Wan didn’t answer. Already the memories of the vision threatened to over take him. Obi-Wan could feel the heat of Mustafar. The angry shouts ringing in his ears.

“Did I kill someone?” Anakin asked. “Did I kill multiple people? A Jedi? A council member?”

“Anakin . . .” Obi-Wan said softly. 

“I want to know!” Anakin shouted. A weight gripped at Obi-Wan’s heart and pulled it down. The weight ripped his heart from where it once was. “I demand to know why I’m here! Do you know what it is like? To not have the Force for so long? It’s painful, Obi-Wan. This is torture to a Jedi.”

“I can’t tell you, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. He was amazed the words came out as evenly as they did. Inside everything was being sucked into the hole his heart had been pulled in. Eventually even his tongue would be pulled down too. 

“Why?” Anakin shouted. “Afraid I’ll run out of here and commit that crime?”

“Please, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said as the tears started to form. “I can’t . . . You don’t want to know.” 

Anakin’s face soothed out as he examined Obi-Wan. “Was it you?” Anakin whispered. “Did I hurt you? Did I . . . kill you?”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan pleaded. 

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said desperately. “I would never harm you.” The words hit Obi-Wan like knives to the heart.  _ “Don’t make me kill you,” _ the phantom voice of a Sith that looked just like Anakin had said to Obi-Wan. “Obi-Wan,” Anakin said. “Please believe me. I would never harm you!”

Obi-Wan couldn’t stop the tears as they rolled down his face. “I can’t . . .” Obi-Wan said and turned to leave. He hurried down the hall, but Anakin’s voice followed him. 

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin cried. His voice cracking in its desperation. “I would never hurt you! Believe me! I love you! Obi-Wan!”

_ “You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you!” _ Obi-Wan had said to Anakin as he left him dying on the ashy bank of a lava river. 

 

* * *

 

The third time Obi-Wan came to see Anakin, Anakin was curled up on his cot. He looked so small. So fragile.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan called out. The form on the cot didn’t move. Didn’t respond. “Anakin,” Obi-Wan repeated. Still nothing. Obi-Wan sighed and pressed the button to release the ray shield. Hearing the shield go down, Anakin finally raised his head and looked over. Obi-Wan slowly walked into the cell and stopped in front of the cot. Anakin uncurled himself as he looked up at Obi-Wan. Slowly, Anakin’s hands grabbed at Obi-Wan’s tunic.

“You’re real,” he said softly. “You’re really here.” 

Obi-Wan placed a hand on top of Anakin’s head. His hair was matted and dirty and greasy, but Obi-Wan cared not. “Of course I am,” Obi-wan whispered back.

“I thought you were a dream. Or a nightmare,” Anakin said as fingers curled into the fabric of Obi-Wan’s tunic. “It’s hard to tell them apart any more.”

Obi-Wan gently clasped both of Anakin’s hands in his own. He slowly removed Anakin’s grip from his clothes. Then Obi-Wan reached behind him and handed Anakin his lightsaber. Anakin was unsure at first. His eyes were wide, but they were blue. Not a Sith yellow. But still a brilliant sky blue. He was hesitant as he reached out and wrapped his hands around his saber.

“Why are you giving me this?” Anakin asked. His voice was hushed. Barely a whisper. 

“Because you’re leaving,” Obi-Wan said. 

Anakin’s eyes left the saber and looked at Obi-Wan. “You did it?” he asked. “You finally got them to set me free?”

“No,” Obi-Wan said. He took a deep breath. “No. They were not going to set you free.”

A small silence fell between them. How could Obi-Wan tell Anakin that the Council had decided the best course of action was to have Anakin executed? He couldn’t. It may be the very thing to push Anakin over the edge and into the Dark Side. Anakin looked over at the open wall where the ray shield would usually be. Then he looked back at Obi-Wan.

“You’re breaking me out,” Anakin said slowly. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said. 

“Why?” Anakin asked. 

_ “The Jedi are evil! I hate you!”  _ The vision echoed in Obi-Wan’s mind. Obi-Wan pulled out his own saber and ignited it. At once blue light filled the cell. Anakin jumped back a bit. 

“Your hands,” Obi-Wan said. Anakin slowly lifted his hands. Gently, Obi-Wan brought his saber against the Force-suppressant cuffs. They fell off and fell to the floor with a clanking sound. Anakin rubbed his red and raw wrists. “Now let’s go,” Obi-Wan ordered. “Unless you want to stay here?”

Anakin hesitated only a second, but then he was on his feet. Obi-Wan led the way out of the cell. Instead of turning right towards the entrance of the hallway, he turned left. Anakin followed quietly. His bare feet made almost no sound behind Obi-Wan. 

“Where are we going?” he whispered. Anakin knew the way out was the other direction, but that was also the direction of the guards. They came to the end of the hallway. Obi-Wan ignited his blue lightsaber and shoved the beam into the wall. He slowly cut a sloppy circle to create an opening. When he was finished, Obi-Wan used the Force to push the chunk of wall free. 

“The Detention Center used to bigger,” Obi-Wan said as he stepped through the still glowing red opening. “But as the Sith disappeared, so did the need for such a large Center. It was decided to seal some of it, to make it easier to contain and watch prisoners.”

Obi-Wan led Anakin into a dark and dusty hallway. It clearly hadn’t been used in a long time. Large cells left large rectangular black openings along the hallway. Obi-Wan kept his lightsaber ignited and used it as light to guide them. Anakin kept his still in his hand. His grip was tight around it. 

“How long until they notice I’m gone?” Anakin asked.

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan said. “Not much more longer. They’ll get anxious when they think I’m spending too long talking to you.” 

“The whole Temple will be on lock down,” Anakin continued. 

Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Anakin. “I’ve got a plan,” he said. The two continued on in silence until they reached a door. It slid open, but caused dust to swirl and stir along the floor. The shortly reached a turbolift. The doors look old and unused. Sitting next to the doors was a bag. Obi-Wan reached down for the bag and threw it at Anakin. “Put those on,” Obi-Wan instructed.

Anakin pulled out a Jedi tunic, robes, and boots. In short order he had gotten out of his white prison clothes and into the Jedi robes. Lastly, Anakin clipped his lightsaber to his belt. Obi-Wan had pressed the button for the lift. The doors opened with a creaking metal whine; however, the actual lift was modern. Obi-Wan used his Council override codes to order the lift to go down into the basement levels. 

Right as the door opened to the basement level, the lights in the lift changed red and an alarm blasted from the control panel. “I think they’ve noticed you’re gone,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s time to run.” 

Obi-Wan dashed off into the dark basement hallway with Anakin right behind. Again they were in dark unused hallways. Probably part of the temple that had long since been built on top of and forgotten. They zig-zagged through the corridors until they reached a rather heavy looking door. Obi-Wan wasted no time in stabbing his lightsaber into the controls. Once through the door, they were in a hallway that looked much worse than the previous. The walls looked rusted and the paint was flaking off in a few areas. The tile on the floor was uneven and brown. 

They passed through two more doors. Each new hallway looked worse than the one before. The last hallway was coated in moisture and mold and slime. Anakin was sure he felt something slither over his boot. He questioned whether they were actually in the Temple any more or not. Perhaps they had made it out in the under layers of Coruscant. Obi-wan brought out a com unit. There was a soft beep as com connected the call. 

“Cody,” came the voice from the com. “General, do you have the package?”

“Package secure, Cody,” Obi-Wan replied. “Can you get a lock on this location?”

“Affirmative,” Cody replied. “We’ll get a transport to you soon. Be careful. The whole Temple is on lock down.”

“They haven’t expanded it to the whole planet have they?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“Luckily, not yet,” Cody replied. 

When the call ended, Anakin asked, “Clones?”

Obi-Wan paused as he looked over at Anakin. “They . . . there was . . . The Sith Lord put chips in their head with orders they wouldn’t be able to resist. One of these orders was to kill any Jedi. In the vision . . . we saw . . . The order being issued. The clones turned on their Jedi generals. Even Cody and his men turned and shot at me.” 

Obi-Wan continued walking through the soggy ground. “All clone production has been halted. All current clones are planned to be decommissioned and cycled out. Getting rid of the chips is quite pricey. Not worth it for an army that is not needed anymore, or so the Senate thinks.”

“So what are they going to do with the clones then?” Anakin asked. There was anger seeping into his words. “Just throw them out?”

“Move to agricultural worlds,” Obi-Wan said. “Let them be farmers or factory workers.” 

Anakin made humph noise. They came to a large crate door. Obi-Wan set to work cutting it open with his saber. Once pass that, the hallway appeared to now be an alleyway. Anakin had guessed right, they were in the slums of the under layers. Both Jedi pulled their hoods on and walked quietly to end of the alleyway. A dark street stretched in either direction. A few sentients, mostly aliens, walked about. None of them looked into the alleyway. 

“You didn’t kill me,” Obi-Wan said softly. 

Anakin jumped from the sudden noise. “What?” he asked.

“In the vision, you didn’t kill me,” Obi-Wan repeated. “You . . . did . . . try.” 

Obi-Wan felt a hand rest on his shoulder. “Obi-Wan, please, believe me I would . . . I would never harm you. I don’t know why you saw what you saw in that vision, but I can’t imagine hurting you.”

“Because you love me?” Obi-Wan asked as he turned and faced the hooded form of Anakin. He wished he could see the other’s face clearly. “That’s what you said when I visited you last time.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but here the rage filled screaming from the vision float into his mind.  _ “I hate you!”  _ Which one was it? He could feel his hands getting sweaty. His heart was pounding in his ears. Anakin took a step closer. 

“Yes,” Anakin replied. “Yes. I do love you.” He placed his hands on Obi-Wan’s arms. “I don’t know what you saw in your vision. Or why. Or how. But it must have been a horrible twisted future. I can’t imagine a future where I would try to kill you.”

Obi-Wan realized he had been holding his breath. His lungs and chest were starting to hurt, aching for the air to be released. He slowly pushed the air through his nose and took in a deep breath. 

“In that vision . . . I waited too long to tell you,” Obi-Wan said softly. “I waited until I had defeated you in a duel to our deaths, but I couldn’t kill you. I couldn’t bring the final stroke down, so I left you. I left you . . . alone and injured . . . and the last words I said to you were ‘I loved you.’ And I’ve come to realize, I should have said this sooner. Maybe it would have stopped what came to happen in that vision. I don’t know . . .”

Anakin’s hand reached into the hood of Obi-Wan’s cup and gently cupped his face. “You love me?” he said. There was a playful edge to his voice. A tone Obi-Wan hadn’t heard in weeks. The last he had heard it from Anakin had been before he had been locked up. Before the vision. “You’re blushing under that hood aren’t you?” Anakin teased. 

Obi-Wan swatted Anakin’s hand away. But it was true, he was blushing. Obi-Wan could feel the heat burning his cheeks. Obi-Wan saw a speeder making its way down the street. Though Obi-Wan couldn’t quite make out the driver, he was familiar enough with how clones felt in the Force. 

As the speeder came to a stop in front of the alleyway, Obi-Wan laced his fingers into Anakin’s. The two stepped into the speeder hand and hand. The speeder flew away. Away from the Jedi Temple. The Order. Everything their lives had been. But most importantly, Obi-Wan thought, away from that future that would never come to be. For as long as Anakin was right here next to him, there was no way that darkness would come about. Obi-Wan could feel it. Could feel the light and warmth and love, yes love, inside of Anakin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Artwork for this piece](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/post/176069513627/obikin-week-day-3-the-first-time-summary-anakin?is_related_post=1), which doesn't completely match the fic. I imagine this happens afterwards.


	4. On Naboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 prompt: Different Path
> 
> Obi-Wan has crashed landed on Naboo during a battle. When he wakes up, he's in the house of former-Jedi Anakin.

Things had come full circle. Obi-Wan stared down at the planet of Naboo. He recalled looking down at this planet as a padawan. His master beside him as they were about to go into negotiations with the Trade Federation. Obi-Wan couldn’t help but muse to himself about how much had changed since then and how little. Like that time long ago, the planet of Naboo was under a blockade. This time by the Separatists. 

Obi-Wan cleared his mind. He couldn’t let his emotions get the better of him. He didn’t want to dwell on who lived down on that planet now. It wasn’t about one single person. This was about a whole planet who needed help. Obi-Wan made his way to the hangar. His Jedi starfighter was being prepped. He wasn’t the only Jedi on this campaign. Obi-Wan’s mission was to lead a squad of starfighters to get close to the Separatist ships, hopefully close to the command ship, and do as much damage as they could. 

As Obi-Wan led his fighter out, his eyes glanced back down at the blue and green planet. For a brief moment, it felt like he was alone. Completely and utterly alone. Lost in the blackness of space. Then the blaster fire started, and he is snapped back into the present. Despite his best efforts, his eyes keep traveling to the planet. His thoughts are distracted. It is no surprise when his ship is shot, and Obi-wan goes spiraling down to the planet. 

 

* * *

 

“Yous awake?” came a soft small voice. 

Obi-Wan slowly came to. He had been at peace. Thankful that he was still and quiet after the spinning and falling and the alarms blaring. He was ready to go back to sleep, back into the serenity he had been woken up from. But something was poking his cheek. 

“Yous awake?” came the voice again. 

Slowly he opened his eyes. The light stung and dots swirled in his vision. 

“Yous awake!”

Obi-Wan slowly turned his head to see a small girl looking down on him. He realized he was laying in a bed and the small child was sitting on the bed with him. She was young. Quite young. There appeared still be baby fat on her cheeks. Her brown hair was pulled back behind her head. She wore a nice little yellow dress. Her big brown eyes were staring at Obi-Wan. When she realized Obi-Wan was looking at her, she smiled.

“Hello young one,” Obi-Wan said. He found his voice hoarse and his throat dry. 

“Hello,” the girl replied. 

Obi-Wan glanced around the girl assessing his surroundings. He appeared to be in a small room of sorts. It was cozy. There was a small desk in a corner under a window. A dresser and a wardrobe sat against another wall. Warm light filtered in through the windows. 

“And who are you?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“Weia,” she replied. “Whos you?”

“I am Obi-Wan. Tell me is your father or mother home?” 

“Dada with Wuke. Wuke pooped.” 

_ Ah the blunt truth of the young _ , Obi-Wan thought. “Mother? Mama?”

“No mama,” the girl said. “Just Dada, Weia, and Wuke.” 

“Can I meet with your dada? Can you go get him?” 

The girl looked at Obi-Wan for a minute, before she smiled and said “Ok!” She crawled off the bed. Obi-Wan couldn’t quite see her, but he heard her little feet patter out of the room and down the hall. He took the moment to collect himself and to try and recall what had happened. He had been shot down. He must have crash landed on the planet, and somehow ended up here. 

Small little feet were heard running back toward Obi-Wan. This time there were two sets of feet. It wasn’t long before there were two children climbing on to Obi-Wan’s bed. A boy had joined the girl. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He looked the same age as the girl. 

“Yous awake!” the boy said pointing a finger. He looked over at the girl and smiled. 

“Luke! Leia!” a man’s voice called out. Something gripped Obi-Wan’s heart. Larger and heavier steps were heard coming down the hall. 

“Dada! Mans awake!” 

“Dada! Come see! Dada!”

The two children were buzzing with energy and excitement. Their heads were turned towards the doorway. A man walked in. Obi-Wan sucked in a sharp breath as he instantly recognized  him as Anakin Skywalker. 

“Come here you two,” Anakin said as walked over to the bed. He grabbed each child around the waist and tucked them both under an arm. He smiled down at Obi-Wan before he turned and left the room. 

Obi-Wan felt like he was back in his shot-down fighter as it spun out of control down to the planet. He was glad he wasn’t sitting up, because the world was spinning around him so much. Anakin Skywalker. His padawan. His lover. His heartbreaker. 

Obi-Wan tried his best to hold himself together, but he couldn’t. Coldness started to pump through his heart. He felt his body slowly became frozen, and then in instant everything shattered. Sharp pieces of ice stabbed into him. Stabbed into his heart, which despite the unbearable cold was not numb. He felt each piece of ice as it slowly stabbed him. 

How had he ended up here? In the home of Anakin? The one who had broken his heart? The one who chose to walk a different path then him? Anakin had left the Order to be with his secret and pregnant wife Padmé. It was supposed to be a happy ending, but Padmé died in childbirth. Obi-Wan realized the two children must be Anakin’s. They were the right age. 

Old dark thoughts entered Obi-Wan’s mind. Thoughts he had thought he had released into the Force. But now they were back with a vengeance. Why had Anakin left? Why had he picked Padmé over him? Was it because she was pregnant? Or was it Obi-Wan? Was he not good enough? How had Obi-Wan not seen the signs? Did Anakin even love Obi-Wan like he said he had?

“Sorry about that,” Anakin Skywalker said as he came back into the room. He carried a tray full of first aid supplies. “They’re easily excitable.” 

“Anakin . . .” Obi-Wan said. 

The former Jedi looked mostly the same as he had when Obi-Wan had last seen him. He still wore his hair long and wavy. His scar on the right side of his face was the same. His brilliant blue eyes were still the same shade. He still wore a glove over his prosthetic hand. The only exception was he didn’t wear the Jedi robes. He was wearing a casual white shirt and leather pants.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin replied back as he set the supplies down on the small desk in the corner. 

“What . . . How . . . Where am I?” 

“You’re in my house on Naboo,” Anakin said as he dug through the supplies. “I saw your fighter go down into the lake. I fished you out, and brought you here. Here you’ve been for the past two days.” 

“I . . . I . . . need to get in contact with the Order. The army,” Obi-Wan said as tried to sort out what his next move would be.

“Can’t,” Anakin said matter-of-factly. “Can’t get any transmissions out. The blockade wasn’t broken. The Separatist still have a chokehold on the planet. Plus the last thing you want, and I want, is for the Separatist coming down here hunting for a Jedi general.” 

Anakin’s head snapped up to the door. He put one finger up to motion to wait a minute. He jumped out of the door. He landed with a big thud. “What are you two doing?” he asked. High pitched squealing was heard followed by laughter and the sound of small feet running away. Anakin stepped back into the room. “Curious and disobedient little ones,” he said to himself with a smile.

“Is there . . . any news?” Obi-Wan asked with a hopeful edge in his voice. 

“Wish I could give you an answer, but no,” Anakin replied as he started digging through the medical supplies. “After the battle two days ago, it’s been quiet. My guess the Republic is regrouping. Hopefully planning another attack.” Anakin walked over carrying fresh bandages. “For now, best to just lie low. Plus you’re injured.”

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan half muttered. “You didn’t have to do this. Save me. Care for me. Especially with your young children.”

Anakin laughed. “Leaving you to drown in the lake is not the Jedi way, Master,” Anakin chided. 

“Yes, but you’re no longer a Jedi,” Obi-Wan pointed out. 

“Eh, I don’t think it’s completely out of my system yet,” Anakin said smiling.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan had limped out of the house and into the shade of the trees. The Skywalker family currently resided in remote cottage. As soon as there were reports of the Separatists near Naboo, Anakin had taken his twins to this cottage. He feared the Separatists hunting him down due to his past as a successful general for the Republic. He wasn’t about to leave his two small children behind either, afraid the Separatists might get their hands on them to use against him. 

So now the family lived out amongst the fields of tall grass, wildflowers, lakes, and the occasional small grove of trees such as the one the cottage was built next to. There wasn’t another settlement in sight, most likely chosen that way. Obi-Wan wondered how long Anakin had this house prepared in case anything went wrong. It had a well stocked basement and a large garage for Anakin to keep busy. When Obi-Wan asked if Anakin had a starship here, Anakin hadn’t answered. He only smiled, which meant that of course he did. 

Out here amongst the trees it was calm and quiet and cool. Obi-Wan was amazed how quickly the chaoticness of the Skywalker house faded away. The two little Skywalkers were a handful. They appeared to have endless energy and short attention spans. They ran, jumped, and skipped from one thing to the next. They quickly took to Obi-Wan as well. 

The one thing Obi-Wan wasn’t use to was how physical the children were, especially when they got tired, cranky, or upset. They would cling to Obi-Wan. He would try to distract them, but it was short lived. They would crawl into his lap or cling to his leg or hand off his arm. He didn’t know what to do. What was the norm? Clearly the children wanted comfort of some kind. He tried patting them on the back, but that didn’t seem to appease either one of them. One time Anakin saw Obi-Wan’s awkward attempts and just laughed. 

_ Anakin. _

Being around him again was . . . torturous. Hearing his voice, his laughter, seeing his smile, smelling him in the clothes Obi-Wan was lent. It brought back wave after wave of memories. Of Anakin’s hand gently sliding up Obi-Wan’s side as the two disrobed together. Anakin’s lips against his. Anakin whispering sweet and loving words as he kissed Obi-Wan’s head. 

Obi-Wan needed to get a hold of himself. He settled down on some soft green moss growing at the base of a tree. He crossed his legs and started to meditate. He needed to release his feelings. The last thing he needed was an emotional breakdown in front of Anakin. 

 

* * *

 

“No,” one small voice said.

“No,” the other soon followed. 

“No! Das wrong!”

“Das wrong Obi! Wrong!” 

Obi-Wan sighed as he looked over at the two Skywalker twins. Their faces were both scrunched up as they were trying to be serious. 

“I’m afraid this is just how it’s going to be this time, young ones,” Obi-Wan said. “Plus you need to learn to be flexible.” 

“No!” Leia said. “Das wrong!”

Obi-Wan finished making the two sandwiches. He cut them into fourths and placed them on plates in front of the two children sitting at the table. The twins eyed the sandwiches cautiously. Clearly Obi-Wan had not made the sandwiches the way their father had.

“Das wrong,” Luke said a bit sadly looking at his sandwich. His blue eyes were large and round as he looked back up at Obi-Wan.

“There is nothing wrong with those sandwiches,” Obi-Wan said. Luke frowned as he grabbed one of the sandwich pieces and slowly brought it to his mouth. Leia was watching for her brother’s reaction. Luke nibbled on his sandwich. Eventually Leia picked up her food as well. Obi-Wan turned away from them and went back into the small kitchen to clean up. 

It had been three days since Obi-Wan woke up in this cottage in Naboo’s lake country. Anakin was in the garage working on cleaning his droids and had asked Obi-Wan to look after the children. The two took up every bit of Obi-Wan’s attention and sucked up every bit of his energy. Obi-Wan was not sure how Anakin had managed caring for these two without help. Sure he had the gold protocol droid to help clean and cook, but most of Anakin’s day must have been dedicated to Luke and Leia. No wonder the man was hiding out in his garage. He was probably happy that there was someone else capable of watching the children for a while. 

After lunch was thankfully nap time. He helped the two tired little children up the narrow stairs and into the bed they shared. They both crawled under the covers without being prompted. Once settled they looked up at Obi-Wan expectantly. 

“Sleep well,” Obi-Wan said awkwardly.

“Story?” Luke asked. 

“Story?” Leia asked as well. 

When Obi-Wan didn’t answer fast enough, they spoke up again. “Story? Story? Story?” Obi-Wan looked around the room and spotted a small shelf with holobooks on it. As he approached he saw they were all children’s stories. He randomly picked one up and walked back over the to bed. 

“Little Loth Kitten’s Discovery,” Obi-Wan said as he started to read the book. The two children smiled up at Obi-Wan. Though even in reading a simple story, the twins were very quick to share their opinions. 

“Not how woth kitten talks,” Leia said. 

“Das wrong woth kitten,” Luke explained when Obi-Wan tried to add a voice. 

“Not how dada do it!” Leia said a bit angry. 

Obi-Wan was grateful when he finally found himself sinking into the sofa downstairs in the toy littered living room. The twins had finally fallen asleep. Anakin walked into the room rubbing his hands off on a towel as he glanced around the destroyed living room. When his eyes landed on the Jedi, he broken out into a laugh. 

“I take it you didn’t spend much time in the Jedi creches, Master Kenobi?” Anakin asked. 

“Did you?” Obi-Wan asked bitterly back. 

“Well looks like you did a good job,” Anakin noted as he kicked a toy to the side with his foot. 

“Good job?” Obi-Wan said. 

“Well both children are still alive. Neither one are bleeding or sick. Nothing is burnt or broken. So yeah, good job.”

Obi-Wan wondered if perhaps each of those things was from Anakin’s personal experience. Had he learned to take care of his children through such trials? Obi-Wan was afraid to ask. 

“How about a walk?” Anakin asked. “Looks like you could use some fresh air.”

Obi-Wan frowned. He wanted to left alone. He wanted to meditate before the two little terrors upstairs descended upon him again. 

“Come on,” Anakin said as he walked over and lightly kicked at Obi-Wan’s boot. “You’ll feel better afterwards.” 

Obi-Wan grudgingly got up as he followed Anakin out of the house. Anakin mentioned it was fine to leave the twins sleeping alone. He stated he had become quite attuned to their Force presences. He would know the moment either one awoke. 

Anakin’s cottage was right next to a small grove of trees that was surrounded by rolling fields of wild flowers and tall grass. Lakes were scattered amongst the fields. Anakin led Obi-Wan along the fence of the modest garden Anakin kept. Anakin mentioned that he had a lot of trial and error learning how to garden. Once pass the fenced garden, Anakin led Obi-Wan out into the fields. There was a small worn path that wove through the grass and flowers to a nearby lake. The two stood side by side at the edge.

“Nice isn’t it?” Anakin asked. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan replied. 

“Well enjoy it,” Anakin said as he patted Obi-Wan on the shoulder. He turned and started to walk down the path.

“Wait!” Obi-Wan shouted. “You’re leaving?”

“I figured you needed some time alone. You won’t find it my house with my two children,” he said. “Looks like you needed some time to meditate and release your feelings into the Force.”

“What is that suppose to mean?” Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin titled his head to the side. “You’re upset and angry,” he said evenly. “I can feel it in the Force, even now. Those aren’t emotions Jedi carry around with them.”

“And what would you know about what Jedi should and should not do?” Obi-Wan said bitterly. 

A tense silence fell between the two. “So this is what it’s about,” Anakin said slowly. “You’re angry with me about leaving the Order.” 

“I am not angry at you for leaving the Order,” Obi-Wan said. 

“You’re a horrible liar,” Anakin pointed out. “Go ahead and tell what you really want to say. Get those emotions out.” Obi-Wan said nothing. He wasn’t going to give into Anakin’s ploy. He didn’t need to explain himself. “Well which is it?” Anakin prompted. “I’ve heard it all before. Mad that I left my duty behind? That I was needed to help the war effort? I was selfish? I broke the Code?”

“That you left me?” Obi-Wan said darkly. 

Surprise flashed briefly across Anakin’s face before his brows furrowed and frowned in guilt. He took a deep breath. “Yes, that I left you,” Anakin said slowly. “I . . . I suppose that’s fair you’re mad about that.” 

“That?  _ That _ ?” Obi-Wan asked. “I . . . I . . .” Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh. He was getting emotional. He clenched and unclenched his fists. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Anakin had walked back over. 

“You haven’t gotten over it,” he said sadly. “You’ve been carrying it around. You should have released these emotions by now.” 

Obi-Wan knocked Anakin’s hand off of him. “What would you know?” Obi-Wan hissed. His pain leaching into his words. 

“I know it’s hard, unbelievably hard,” Anakin said softly. “I know at night when you’re trying to go to sleep, it feels like you’re alone. So alone. As if you’re the only one on this planet. In the system. In the galaxy. You get so cold, and nothing warms you up. You get so hot, but nothing cools you down. It feels like your constantly having to walk through knee-high mud.” Anakin sighed. “And it’s painful. The pain it varies. From sharp and stabbing to throbbing and grinding to pulling and stretching. Each day your heart is demolished only for it to be demolished again the next day in a different way.”

Obi-Wan stood there transfixed on Anakin’s words. There was a heavy truth to them. He knew. Anakin knew what he was going through. He was speaking from personal experience.

“You still haven’t gotten over losing Padmé,” Obi-Wan said softly. 

Anakin let out a sad laugh. The kind one did to hide sadness. “Yes, but I also haven’t gotten over losing you,” Anakin said. Obi-Wan’s surprise was clear as Anakin smiled sadly. 

“I . . . didn’t think you cared,” Obi-Wan said softly. 

“What?” Anakin asked. “Of course I cared!”

Obi-Wan said sadly, “But you left, Anakin. Without a word to me. I heard about through the clone rumor mill and then from the holonet. When I asked the Council why they didn’t tell me earlier, they said it was because it wasn’t important to my current mission.”

Anakin ran his hands through his hair. He walked pass Obi-Wan towards the lake. 

“Tell me,” Obi-Wan said. “I want to hear it from you. Why did you leave? Because of Padmé and the twins?”

Anakin didn’t answer. Instead it was just the sounds of nature. The rustling of the grass in the wind. The small waves brushing against the shore of the lake. The call of birds in the distance. 

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Anakin said. “There was this moment where everything changed. Literally from one step to the next. I had been hit with a vision, but that’s not the right word. I didn’t see anything. More like a feeling? A sensation? I just suddenly knew if I kept on the path I was going on I was going to lose everything. Not just you, but Padmé, the twins, the Order, and even myself. I knew I had to go on a different path. There was this sense of urgency in me that I needed to do it at once.”

Anakin paused as he looked over at the lake. Obi-Wan walked over to stand next to him. The water of the lake sparkled from the warm sunlight. 

“I may have acted in fear. I had been having dreams of Padmé dying in childbirth. I thought maybe if I could just focus on her, I could be there for her. Help her. Save her, but . . . I couldn’t,” Anakin said. The heartbreak in his voice was so clear. “I often wonder if that feeling I got, that sense of losing everything, if this was what it was about. I had lost you and Padmé both. I was no longer a Jedi. I still had the twins, but I questioned who I was. The only reason I managed to stay together were the two little babies who were counting on me.”

Anakin turned to face Obi-Wan. “I’m . . . sorry Obi-Wan. That I left the way I did. That I never told you about Padmé. But I loved both of you. I didn’t love her over you or the other. If I had had it my way, we would have all been happily together. But I was afraid. Afraid neither one of you would understand the fact that I was in love with two people, so I kept in a secret.” A small sad laugh escaped him. “My insecurity led me to lose both of you.” He took a deep sigh. “I thought I had put it all behind me, until you literally crashed back into my life.”

Obi-Wan could feel the corners of his mouth curve in a smile at that comment. Anakin looked down at the ground awkwardly. “Come back whenever you’re ready,” he said still not looking up. “You’re always welcomed.” Anakin made his way back towards the house leaving Obi-Wan alone with his thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan was taking the twins on a walk near the house. They each held on to his hand as they walked through the grass and flowers. It was slow progress as they stopped and looked at everything. 

“Bug! Bug! Bug!”

“Flower! Look Obi! Flower!

There were of course hundreds of bugs and flowers to point out. Obi-Wan looked across the field to the cottage. Anakin was outside practice his lightsaber katas with a wooden stick. He was also shirtless, and Obi-Wan noted the man still looked good. 

“Obi sad?” Luke asked as tugged on Obi-Wan’s hand. 

“I’m not sad,” Obi-Wan said.

“Obi sad,” Leia said.

Obi-Wan knelt down between the twins. The both shuffled closer to him. Luke hugged Obi-Wan’s arm. Leia leaned over and kissed him. 

“Das make dada happy,” Leia said. “When dada sad.”

“Thank you young one,” Obi-Wan said smiling at Leia. “I do feel better.”

“Obi still sad,” Luke said.

Were all Force sensitive children this strong and attuned to others Obi-Wan wondered. 

 

* * *

 

Later that night, after the twins had gone to bed, Obi-Wan sat on the corner edge of his bed. His shirt was off as Anakin was checking over his wounds. Obi-Wan had received some deep cuts  and heavy bruising along his torso and upper legs during his crash. Anakin’s hands gently and deftly worked on removing the old bandages, checking the stitches, and applying new bandages. 

_ Force _ , Obi-Wan had forgotten how warm Anakin’s flesh hand felt. An unwelcomed memory came to Obi-Wan’s mind. Obi-Wan laid on a cot in a tent on a battlefield. Anakin’s hand tracing all of Obi-Wan’s curves while their lips met over and over. Obi-Wan shook his head to rid himself of the image. 

“I need to check the one on your thigh,” Anakin said. He walked around the bed with his first aid supply kit. He placed it next to Obi-Wan and looked down. He looked back up with a huge grin on his face. “Well now, Obi-Wan, didn’t know you missed me like that.”

Obi-Wan looked down to see his body had reacted to that blasted memory mere minutes ago. He could feel his cheeks reddening and ears burning. Anakin only laughed. 

“No need to feel embarrassed. It’s only natural,” Anakin teased between his snickering. 

“Natural?”

Anakin wiggled his eyebrows in response. Obi-Wan reached out and grabbed Anakin’s hips. He pulled him closer and let one hand slide to the front. He gently rubbed back and forth and could feel Anakin reacting. 

“It’s just natural,” Obi-Wan teased back.

 

* * *

 

“Dada! Dada! Dada!”

Obi-Wan awoke to the voices of children and small bodies climbing on the bed and on top of him.

“Dada in Obi bed,” Luke said as he crawled on top of Anakin. 

“Nnnn Luke your knee is pushing into my lung,” Anakin grumbled as he woke up. He rolled his son off of him. Anakin’s blue eyes met Obi-Wan’s. A smile graced his lips as their eyes met. It warmed Obi-Wan on the inside. But then it felt like a cold bucket of water had been thrown on him as he realized he had slept with Anakin that night. How could be so foolish? He rolled over away from Anakin. He felt a small hand land on his forehead. He glanced up to see Leia was leaning over him. 

“Dada Obi hot,” she said. “Obi sick.” She looked back over at her father. She said in a very serious voice, “Obi sick.”

Obi-Wan groaned and pulled the covers over his head as he heard Anakin laughing next to him. 

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan was holding Luke and Anakin was holding Leia as they stood right outside the doorway of the cottage. The sky above was aflame with explosions of the battle between the Republic and the Separatists. The twins were oddly silent. They just clung tightly to the adults carrying them. Their eyes also on the sky. 

The next day Anakin turned on the holonet. It announced the Republic victory and the end of the blockade. The news showed an image of people celebrating in Theed as clone troopers marched down a street. 

“I guess you can make that call to the Order now,” Anakin said. “I’ll go set it up for you.”

Obi-Wan said nothing as he watched Anakin disappear into the house. He turned his attention back to the news, but he wasn’t listening or focusing on the question. 

 

* * *

 

“Bye bye Obi,” Luke said as he waved.

“Bye bye!” Leia said.

Anakin smiled as he stood with his children as he watched Obi-Wan board the shuttle that had been sent to retrieve him. Obi-Wan had already said his goodbyes and thanks to the Skywalker family, but the twins kept saying bye to him over and over again. Obi-Wan threw up one last hand wave as the door to the shuttle shut.

Obi-Wan spent the shuttle ride in deep thought. He needed to recenter and focus. He would be returning to Coruscant to give his report to the Council. Then he would need to be General Kenobi again as he would most likely be sent on another mission. Another battle. Yet despite his best efforts, he kept hearing the small goodbyes from two small voices playing over and over in his head.

 

* * *

 

Anakin Skywalker was in the garage of his cottage in the Naboo countryside. The Separatist threat was long gone, but Anakin still enjoyed the cottage. There was a sense of serenity and quiet here. He had of course returned to Theed after the blockade was lifted. The Naberrie family had been unscathed and were immensely relieved and happy to see the all the Skywalkers safe and sound. 

Yet when Anakin wanted to get away, he brought his family here. He rarely visited the Naberrie’s lake estate. There were too many memories there of Padmé. Here there were only good memories. Here Anakin wasn’t as haunted by ghosts and what ifs and past decisions. Here he could enjoy his two children. 

“Daddy!” came one voice. Luke ran into the garage. “Daddy!” he said breathlessly between gasps of air. “There’s a ship!” 

“A ship?” Anakin asked amused. “Where?” 

“It’s coming here!” Luke said excitedly. 

Anakin only frowned in concern. Luke ran back of the garage and Anakin followed his son. As he walked around the corner of the house, he saw a ship making its way straight for his cottage. Luke and Leia had been standing in the grass watching it. As soon as their saw their father, they ran over to him. 

“Daddy who’s that?” Leia asked. 

“I don’t know,” Anakin said. He wondered if he should have grabbed a blaster before coming out, but he didn’t sense any hostility or danger. 

The ship landed. It looked to be a personal ship. It bore no markings of any military or business. The ramp lowered and the door opened.

“It’s Obi!” Luke and Leia shouted at the same time. They glanced up at their father with large grins on their faces, before they darted off across the grass. “Obi! Obi!” they shouted. Obi-Wan Kenobi walked onto the grass just as the twins jumped at him and hugged him. As Anakin made his way over, he noted Obi-Wan wasn’t wearing his Jedi robes. 

“Hello,” Anakin said.

“Hello,” Obi-Wan replied. 

“What are you doing here?” Anakin asked. 

“I decided to try a different path,” Obi-Wan said as he smiled warmly at Anakin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Artwork for this fic](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/post/176112773012/obikin-week-day-4-a-different-path)


	5. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 Prompt: Masquerade
> 
> Anakin and Obi-Wan are given a mission to protect Senator Amidala while she secretly meets up Separatist senators at a masquerade ball.

It was easy to find the assassin. His blood lust and terror practically reeked in the Force. It had been easy to let the fool follow Anakin into a dark corner of a hallway off the ballroom. The band was still playing, so it muffled the sounds of the assassin’s body as it fell to the ground dead. His hands were still by his neck, clawing for air that would never come. Anakin smiled as he looked down at the man. He took a moment to savor the fear the assassin had pushed into the Force. It was delicious. 

But now was not the time Anakin could relish in the Dark Side. He sighed as he concentrated and pushed the Dark Side away with some reluctance. He felt himself calm down. He was sure his eyes were back to their natural blue. Anakin walked back down the hallway, making sure his mask and costume were all in place before he stepped back onto the ballroom floor. 

Sentients of all kinds danced in bright costumes and masks. Anakin made his way effortlessly through the crowd. He was here on a mission. He along with Obi-Wan Kenobi were to escort Senator Amidala to this Separatist party on a Separatist planet. Padme had arranged a meeting with some of the Separatist senators to talk about opening peace talks with the Republic. 

It appeared someone had been tipped off about this meeting. Whoever it was had only hired some assassins to take down the Republic senator and the two Jedi that accompanied her. Anakin would have to be on his guard to watch out for any more. He did have to admit that falling to the Dark Side had made this mission so much easier. He didn’t have to worry about not injuring the assassin too severely along with finding a way to secure them and making sure they didn’t escape. Killing them was just so much easier.

“See anything?” Obi-Wan asked as Anakin finally made his way back over to him. 

“I didn’t run into anything concerning,” Anakin said. “You?”

“No. Looks like Amidala is safe for now,” Obi-Wan answered.

Obi-Wan was wearing a red and gold feathered costume of a bird, while Anakin wore a purple and green costume of some kind of serpent. Anakin came to stand next to Obi-Wan. He slightly shifted his weight so he leaned against the other man. Obi-Wan didn’t shift away. Instead he leaned back into Anakin. Anakin couldn’t help but smile. It had been worth it to fall to the Dark Side, to make a deal with the devil, if it kept Obi-Wan safe. Of course the hard part was hiding it from Obi-Wan. Anakin was sure Obi-Wan wasn’t ready for that truth quiet yet, but eventually Anakin would find a way to make him understand.

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan was enjoying Anakin’s warmth as the two leaned together at the edge of the bathroom. The room was massive with a large domed window ceiling that allowed a nice view of the night sky. Obi-Wan watched as the upper echelon of the Confederacy danced. It was dangerous to be here. They could be easily recognized as enemy generals, yet the masks and the costumes provided a suitable cover. Obi-Wan sighed as leaned away from Anakin. He missed the other’s warmth the moment it was gone. 

“Time for another patrol,” Obi-Wan said softly. Anakin nodded and the two went their separate ways. As soon as he was far enough away from Anakin, Obi-Wan opened himself up to the Dark Side. Only a small amount. He didn’t want Anakin to sense a Sith. But even the small amount allowed Obi-Wan to get a much better feel for party-goers than the Light Side would. This was especially so as he hunted for feelings of bloodlust, hatred, and fear. 

He spotted the assassin leaning against a wall. They looked feminine, but there was no telling with the dark scaly costume and full-face mask they wore. Obi-Wan sent a small tendril of the Force out to the assassin, just enough so the other would notice Obi-Wan. Just enough they would follow him. Obi-Wan smiled as the assassin fell for the lure and followed the former-Jedi into a trap. 

The assassin followed Obi-Wan out on to the terrace that overlooked a well groomed garden. Obi-Wan rounded a large column where no security cameras could see. The assassin followed all too eagerly, but as they rounded the corner Obi-Wan picked them up with the Force. He quickly snapped the neck of the assassin and floated the body over the edge of the terrace railing and into the dark garden bushes below. 

Not the way Obi-Wan would have preferred to kill the assassin. But it was quick and quiet, which what was needed for now. The assassin dealt with, Obi-Wan slipped back into the party. He spotted Anakin weaving through the dancers, and Obi-Wan released his hold on the Dark Side. By the time Anakin arrived, Obi-Wan had pushed away all of the darkness. 

“Well we’re halfway through,” Anakin said dully. He was clearly bored. 

Anakin moved closer to Obi-Wan and slipped an arm around his waist. Obi-Wan moved closer to Anakin. Their bodies were touching. Obi-Wan was tempted to let his head rest on Anakin’s shoulder, but held back on the urge. He was a mission. But he could still enjoy Anakin’s presence. It was moment’s like this that made falling to the Dark Side worth it, and Obi-Wan would do it all again if it meant he could protect Anakin. 

Obi-Wan planned on slowly weaning Anakin away from the Order. Slowly opening him up to the idea on how the Order was wrong about the way they used Anakin for their war efforts. But that time was still a ways off. Anakin was still devoted to the Order. He still strived with every fiber of his being to prove himself to the Jedi. 

Obi-Wan was pulled from his thoughts as the Force whispered danger at him. Anakin tensed next to him and Obi-Wan felt Anakin’s arm fall from his waist. They shared a glance, nodded, and both went their separate ways to hunt out this new threat. Obi-Wan would need to get it to first. Perhaps he would have to deal with it like a normal Jedi, but ideally he would just like to crush whoever it was and be done with it. But that meant he would have to find whoever it was before Anakin. 

He followed the pull of Force towards a spiral staircase that led down into the servant’s quarters. He went down a level and into the narrow halls used to by the servants to bring food and cleaning supplies unseen by the guest. He paused right in next to a doorway. He slowly edged himself around to see a man pouring a vial into a wine glasses sitting on a table. It was most likely poison. 

He reached into the black coldness of the Dark Side. He raised his hand towards the man. He would need to be quick. A simple snap of the neck would do, like the previous assassin. Obi-Wan sharply titled his hand, there was a loud snap from the man’s neck, and he fell dead on to the floor. 

There was a gasp and Obi-Wan looked over to see a second person. A female Twi'lek who was putting empty wine glasses on a tray. Obi-Wan cursed to himself, but in that moment the girl had pulled out a blaster from her skirts. Yet before she could fire or Obi-Wan could react, she was lifted off the floor. Her hands clawed at her throat. The Dark Side swirled around her as it strangled her. Then it wisped away as the body fell to the floor. 

Obi-Wan followed the tendrils of darkness flow back to a shadow by door on the other side of the room. The figure stepped forward and it was . . . Anakin. 

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin replied back. Both were clearly not expecting the other. Anakin’s eyes below his mask were wide in shock. But they weren’t blue, they were yellow. A Sith yellow. 

“Was that you?” Obi-Wan asked waving a hand at the Twi’lek. 

“I . . .” Anakin said as noticed the dead man on the floor. “What happened to him? Was that you?” 

Obi-Wan walked into the room and stopped in front of Anakin. There was no denying it. The Dark Side coming off of Anakin was far too easy to read. “Are . . . are you a Sith?” Obi-Wan asked. 

Anakin, who had been observing Obi-Wan, only asked back, “Are you?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Artwork for this fic.](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/post/176131794327/obikin-day-5-masquerade-summary-anakin-and)
> 
> And I think that this may be it for me for Obikin Week 2018. It's been fun, but it's also kind of burned me out doing a fic and piece of artwork for each day. I did have ideas for the rest of the week, even started writing the fics. But for now I think I'm going to take a break from Obikin to work on other stuff. 
> 
> If you liked this and haven't checked out my other [Obikin one-shot collection then check it out. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14327544)


End file.
